Speaking on Sunday at the ceremony of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, President Raisi praised the great status of martyrs in this field, saying that the dedication of 3,800 martyrs and 12,000 wounded veterans is a sign of the proof that exists for the fight against narcotics in Islamic Iran.
Emphasizing that the fight against narcotics is a serious and priority issue in the country, the President added that on the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the path taken in the fight against narcotics should be pathological".
Referring to the good record of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the fight against narcotics at the national and global levels, the Iranian President thanked all those involved in the Anti-Narcotics Headquarters, the Ministry of Intelligence, the police, the border police, and the Basij.
Calling the fight against narcotics a complex and important task because of the work of the mafia organizations and while emphasizing the need to use creativity and initiative in this fight, he highlighted that they should try to transform the fight against narcotics.
Describing the problem of drugs and psychedelics as one of the serious crises for countries and human society, President Raisi added that no country can enter the fight against drug traffickers alone and all countries and international organizations must play their role properly.
He noted that his question to the United Nations is whether the share, amount, and position assigned to this organization in the fight against narcotics is proportionate to what is being done? Is a UN Office on Drugs sufficient for this purpose?
Raisi continued, “I believe” that countries and international organizations do not play their role to the extent of their claims and responsibilities. Is just appreciating the Islamic Republic of Iran enough to have an effective presence in the fight against drugs? The role of the United Nations is definitely higher than that.
The President emphasized that today, 113 years after the signing of the Shanghai Convention by various countries against drugs, “we see” that this product is more easily available on the Internet than many other goods, and traditional drugs have become industrial and are linked with other organized crimes like money laundering.
Raisi pointed out that it seems that there is a serious weakness in the formation of an international determination in the fight against drugs, and unless this weakness is compensated, the situation will not improve.
Referring to the US and NATO actions in Afghanistan that have led to the development of narcotics cultivation, the President noted that in the two decades of American and NATO domination in Afghanistan, narcotics have been produced and converted from traditional to industrial and distributed around the world.
Raisi reiterated that why is the international community not fulfilling its legal, moral, and human rights duty to hold the United States and NATO accountable in this regard?
The President continued by stating that the international community, in response to its duties in the field of counter-narcotics, wants to satisfy Iran only by appreciation and sending a plaque of appreciation, adding, the message of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking should be monitoring the role of governments and international organizations who claim to be advocates of human rights in this area, which I believe there is a serious weakness in this area.
Explaining the actions of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the fight against narcotics, he noted that today, the sincerity and seriousness of the Islamic Republic in this field are clear to everyone and there is no need to argue because we have been seriously fighting narcotics for 43 years.
The President said that if during these years the international community had performed its duties as the Islamic Republic of Iran has done in the fight against drugs, the situation in the world today would have been different.
Stating that all valuable and effective measures of the Islamic Republic in the fight against drugs have been taken under the oppressive US sanctions, Raisi said that many of the tools and technologies that “we must have” in the fight against drugs are out of reach due to sanctions.
Addressing the representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, he said that "we complain” to the United Nations why no action is taken, at least to lift the oppressive sanctions against the activists in the field of counter-narcotics?!
The President added that today, the United Nations must answer the question of why the Islamic Republic, despite its costly resistance to the fight against drugs, should still be subject to oppressive sanctions?
Raisi further referred to fighting drug trafficking networks in Iran and said, "While our intelligence” organizations are consistently working in this field, regional and world intelligence organizations should report "how much information is exchanged in this field with our country".
One of the keys to success in the fight against drugs is the exchange of information between the regional and world intelligence services, and they should report in expert meetings, and the UN Secretary-General should consider how much the role of these organizations has been in the fight against drugs, he said.
At the end, President Raisi emphasized strengthening the intelligence work in identifying drug trafficking networks as well as preventive measures of cultural institutions and education and said that the measures taken in the field of collecting drug addicts are not enough and should be done in such a way that we do not see drug addicts who disturb people's lives in any part of the country.
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